iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display: What's New

[UPDATED] There may have been new Macs, apps and the surprise announcement that OS X Mavericks would be free, but the iPads were definitely the star of Apple's special Oct. 22 event. There weren't a ton of new features to speak of, but Apple still managed to make all of our old iPads and iPad minis feel obsolete. Here's a look at everything that's changed:

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The New iPad and iPad mini

Name
The biggest shocker of the day wasn't the thinness or the lightness of the iPad, but rather its new name: the iPad Air. It would suggest that there's an iPad Pro in the works, but we'll leave that speculation for another day. Not so surprising was its little brother's new moniker: iPad mini with Retina Display.

Design
Anyone who owns an iPad will never look at their tablet the same way again. With a stunning new design, Apple shaved off 20 percent of its bulk, leaving an enclosure that puts full focus on the screen. And one that makes its competitors look like dinosaurs.

Colors
The fabled gold iPad mini didn't make an appearance, but Space Gray did, giving it some color symmetry with the iPhone 5s. Of course, the older models are still sticking around in their original colors, but is anyone really going to buy an iPad 2 anymore?

Price
Apple stuck to its guns with the pricing scheme for the iPad Air--$499 gets you in the door at 16GB — but there was some surprise with iPad mini. For one, the new retina model now costs $399, and Apple's keeping the old one around for $299. You can also still get the iPad 2 for $399, which is the biggest head-scratcher of all.

Camera
We never really use our iPads to take pictures, but if you're one of those people awkwardly holding their tablet at their kid's Little League game, you'll be sad to learn that you'll be taking the same grainy pictures you were with the iPad. Apple opted to keep its iSight cameras unchanged across the board, a strange move given the iPad Air's much more photo-friendly case.

Chip
We didn't get a look at the rumored A7X chip, but we're no less excited about the 64-bit processing power of the new iPads. Apple is using the same chip inside all three iOS devices for the first time, and while we already know what it can do in the iPhone 5s, and we can't wait to see how speedy our new iPad Airs and iPad minis are.

Screen
The iPad Air's screen didn't change, but the mini got up to speed with a new Retina screen with the same jaw-dropping resolution as the big boy. We're so excited, we don't even mind the $70 premium.

Weight
The iPad hasn't lost weight since 2011, but Apple put it on a serious diet over the past 12 months. The iPad Air sheds more than 28 percent of the weight of the fourth-generation device, bringing it to a super-svelte 1.05 pounds, enough to make the old model feel like a brick. (Pic: iPad resolution)

Capacity
We were hoping Apple would shake things up and ax the 16GB model, but that's not the case. It's nice to see a 128GB option for the iPad mini with retina display, but we can't help but wish every model was $100 cheaper.

Cases
Nothing too groundbreaking here, but the new leather Smart Cases are certainly promising, especially given the high-quality craftsmanship of the ones for the iPhone 5s. The Smart Covers are basically the same, but as the saying goes, why mess with perfection?

iWork and iLife
True to our expectations, Pages, Numbers and Keynote all got iOS 7-friendly overhauls replete with new features, and they're joined by new iOS versions of iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand. Better yet, they're free for new iPad buyers and those who bought previous versions.

No Touch ID
Those of us still saddled with 12 months left on our smartphone contracts will have to wait till next year to use Touch ID after all. While recent rumblings suggested the new iPads could be getting a sapphire home button, too, no such feature was revealed at yesterday's event. Looks like this one's 5s-only, at least for now. (Pic: Nowhereelse.fr)